Going Home
by TheCompositionNotebook
Summary: Sirius has never gotten along with his family. But this time he's pushed too far. My take on how he left them the summer before his seventh year. One shot. Also my entry for the Songs Covered by Glee competition on the HPFC forum.


**My entry for the Songs Covered by Glee Competition on the HPFC forum! The song I got was 'Stronger', originally by Britney Spears. And if you think it's easy to write a Potter fic off of Britney Spears, then you are dead wrong. But I finally did it, and I'm pretty proud of it. So I hope you all like it! **

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"Sirius!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" Sirius shouted back.

Of course, he had no intentions of showing up for at least ten more minutes, because that's what he always did. Any excuse to annoy his parents and he was on it like a Cornish Pixie on mischief.

He leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up on the corner of his desk. The letter he'd gotten from Remus that morning was still stuffed in his pocket. He pulled it out and unfolded it, reading it again.

_Padfoot-_

_Hope you're doing well, and that your family isn't driving you up the wall as usual. It's only been two weeks at home so far, after all. We've still got a ways to go before school starts again._

_I've had an interesting last few days. I had a visit to St. Mungo's- broke my arm on account of my furry little problem. The healer mended it up just fine, though._

_Oh, and by the way, did you get the letter Prongs sent out? I just got mine last night. His idea is brilliant. All of us staying at his for a week! I do feel a bit sorry for Mrs. Potter though. She'll have a lot do deal with if we can get it set up._

_See you soon, hopefully!_

_Moony_

Sirius sat glaring at the paper for a few moments, before folding it back up and putting it in the top drawer of his desk with the other letters he'd gotten so far this summer. There were a few letters from James, but apparently the one Remus had described had failed to reach him. Which he knew was strange. He lived the closest to James out of all of his friends. And yet Remus had gotten his yesterday.

He'd waited all day to see if an owl would arrive for him, but none did. Only the one that came for Regulus. The owl could have gotten lost, he supposed. Or hurt. But that was pretty much bullshit, in his opinion.

He got up and started pacing back and forth. His parents were awful to him, that was for sure. The blood supremacist gits. But if they actually went so far as to take his mail? There was no way he'd stand for that. If it hadn't been for Remus mentioning the letter to him he probably would never have known that he was missing it. How many more didn't he know about?

"Sirius! You get down here right now!" he heard his mother yell from downstairs.

"I'm on my way!" he shouted back.

He sighed and sat down on his bed. Moony had been right. There was still a good deal of summer left. Next summer, he'd be seventeen. He'd be an adult. He could finally get out of this place that he hated for his entire life. But for now…

Sirius looked over at the things he'd stuck to his wall. The Gryffindor banner, the picture of him and the Marauders. His parents had been so upset with him that he'd put them up, and permanently, that he went out and got the poster of the muggle girl on a motorbike the next day. In fact, he'd tried to stick one up in the drawing room too, but his father had caught him and burned the poster. A shame, in his opinion. It would have improved the décor greatly.

He'd also ended up with a rather nasty looking black eye, but that wasn't too far out of the ordinary, really. Just another of the millions of reasons he couldn't wait to leave. Of course, this was one of the few that no one else knew about.

"Sirius Black! You get your ass down here right now or so help me you will regret it!"

Sirius sighed. It had reached the point that his father was calling for him now. Which meant it was time to go downstairs. For the family dinner. Also known as the time of day he hated the most. Stuck at a table with his parents for nearly an hour, listening to them praise his brother and having them scowl at him over something or another. Right. Just brilliant.

He got up and reluctantly left his room, shuffling down the stairs towards the dining room. As he reached the door he paused for a second, steeling himself. Then he walked in and sat down in the empty chair, not looking at any of the three people seated near him.

"What took you so long?" his mother asked gruffly as he starting unceremoniously filling his plate.

"I told you, I was coming," he responded.

"For fifteen minutes?"

"I took a bit of a detour. Nothing to worry about," Sirius said, taking a bite of the bread he's just finished buttering.

The room fell into an uneasy silence, save for the clinking of silverware on china and glasses being set onto the solid wood table. His parents had long stopped punishing him for showing up late to dinner. He'd done it every day he could for years.

The silence gave him room to think though, which was good. He was thinking hard about what he could possibly say to get his parents to tell him the truth about his mail. They would lie to him, he was sure. Neither of them would admit readily to thievery.

However, he was miraculously saved the trouble. One of the rare moments in life when something works out right, he thought. Either way, his father asked, "What did you get up to today, son?"

Sirius didn't bother to look up. He knew his father wasn't talking to him. He never was when he used the term 'son'. He was addressed more by the term 'boy' or 'you'. Never anything that associated them as being related.

"Well, sir," Regulus said. Sirius snorted. He could hardly believe his brother respected their father enough to call him 'sir'. He shook his head as Regulus kept talking. "I finished up reading the book I was working on. And I got a letter from one of my friends on the Quidditch team, Archie."

"That's nice, dear. It's good to hear you're keeping in contact with your friends over the holiday," their mother said. Sirius suddenly had the strong urge to either flip the table or pick up one of the candlesticks and smack her over the head with it, but he settled for throwing his fork down upon his half eaten supper.

"Yes, good for him. Because he has _respectable _friends, right? He's friends with _purebloods, _and with others who believe that we're _above _everyone else_," _Sirius said. "Too bad that because I'm not a stuck up, snotty wanker and I don't get the same treatment as him."

There was a moment of silence, before Regulus asked, "What do you mean?"

Sirius smiled bitterly. He wished his brother wouldn't be so invested in his parent's beliefs. Sometimes the kid could be halfway decent. "Well, see. When you get a letter from one of your friends, they delight over it. When I get one they sneer at it. Oh, and on occasion they steal it before I can look at it."

"What are you talking about?" his mother snapped.

"You bloody well know what I'm talking about!" Sirius snapped right back. "James sent me a letter yesterday and one of you took it before it reached me. I know that for a fact. Now I want whoever has it to give it back. It belongs to me, and neither of you have the right."

"We can't give you your letter," his father said, almost a little smug. "None of us have it."

"What did you do to it then? Burn it? Tear it to bits? I wouldn't put it past either of you," Sirius said, fighting the urge he had to stand up. None of them were eating anymore; they were all staring at him. Or in his parent's case, glaring.

"That's not important," his father responded, now putting down his silverware as well. "What's important is that we're trying to put you on the right track before it's too late. Fix you."

"Oh, of course," Sirius said. "Because I so obviously need fixing, don't I? It's not like I'm the only half decent person in this room!"

"We've obviously raised you wrong. We've failed you," his mother said bitterly. "Look at what you're growing up to be. Someone who associates themselves with all kinds of scum of the earth. Half-bloods and mudbloods and muggles alike. The fact that you're _friends _with these people."

"Of course I am!" Sirius shouted, finally losing the temper he'd tried to keep under control. "Because I don't discriminate against people based on who their parents are! It would be rather stupid of me, considering who I've got for parents! I'd take a couple of muggles over you any day!"

"How dare you!" his mother screeched, flying out of her seat and nearly upsetting her chair. "How dare you imply that filthy muggles are better than we are! When we did what we had to do to make sure we kept our blood pure, keeping them from soiling our superiority!"

"Because resorting to marrying within families is something so respectable?" Sirius asked. He lost his internal battle and shot to his feet as well, knocking his chair backwards and making Regulus jump. "And yet you call the best people I've met scum? Time and time again?"

"That's because they are!" his father bellowed. "You'd best find yourself some more respectable friends! You disgrace the entire Black family each and every time you call one of those disgusting vermin your friends!"

Sirius stood for a minute, fuming, breathing heavily and trying to get his next few sentences straight in his head before he said them. They were all standing around the table now, save for Regulus, who was still seated and watching the fight go on before him with wide eyes.

"I don't care what you call me or even what you do to me," Sirius said quietly, yet in a voice fueled by rage. "But when it gets to the point that you insult my friends, I get angry. Because if I'm loyal to anyone, it sure as hell isn't the Black family. It's them. My friends. My real family."

"You take that back!" his mother screeched, spit flying from her mouth in her rage. Sirius looked over to his father, who had his fists clenched and had veins standing out in his neck. He smiled.

"No."

"What did you say to me, boy?" his father said dangerously, taking a step closer.

"I said no."

Sirius looked his father straight in the eye. He knew exactly what was coming to him now, but he wasn't going to shrink back or cower away. And when his father landed a solid blow to his jaw, and another and then another, he staggered, but he stayed upright.

"You've used that trick on me time and time again, father," Sirius said, his voice wavering from anger. He looked his father back in the eye. "And I used to take it. I used to let you hold pain and threats over me, but not anymore. I'm stronger now, and I'm done with letting you win. I've had enough. I know what to do."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" his father sneered at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I think I'm leaving. For good. And I'm not coming back. There's nothing you can do or say to stop me. Any of you."

After a few more moments of glaring at each other, Sirius finally broke away, turning and walking towards the door. Blood was roaring in his ears. He was beyond the usual anger he felt. Beyond any anger he'd felt in his life.

"You come back here! I'm not done with you yet!" his father shouted after him. But his anger kept him moving. That was, until…

"Father, stop!" Sirius heard his brother shout from behind him. He would have just kept walking, but Regulus sounded more than scared. He sounded terrified.

Sirius was just turning around when it happened. He heard the incantation, heard it yelled, heard the rage behind it. He could hardly believe it was really happening. Was his father really capable of doing that?

And then the pain hit.

The most terrible pain he'd ever felt, coursing through his entire body all at once. White hot knives were stabbing him everywhere, every bone in his body was breaking, his skin was burning and blistering, his eyes about to pop in his head he couldn't breathe his lungs were ripping themselves to shreds was that him screaming and was that laughing he heard he didn't know the pain he felt overwhelmed everything he couldn't take it he couldn't he wanted it to be gone he wanted it to end he needed it to end he'd rather die he wanted to die he wanted to die he wanted to-

And then pain was gone. He was left gasping, flat on his back on the ground. His vision was blurry, but he could make out his father. Wand still pointed at him, fury plain in his face. His mother was cackling with apparent glee behind him.

And Regulus… he was looking horrified, now out of his chair and against the farthest wall, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Father…" he choked out. "How could you-"

"How could I?" his father said wildly. "I was forced to! He made me! Nothing else will work! He needs to learn to respect his parents and his household!"

"No," Sirius gasped out, slowly getting to his hands and knees.

"What was that, you ungrateful traitor? Do you still defy me?"

"Yes. I do," he responded, voice stronger this time. He heaved himself to his feet, his entire body aching. "I'm not staying in this house with any of you another night. I'm leaving. Now."

"And just where do you think you're going to go?" his mother sneered, moving to stand next to her husband.

"I'm going to go stay with family," Sirius said.

"If you take one step out of this house you will be disowned! And you will have nothing!" his mother screamed.

"Good," he said. "I don't want anything that belongs to this family."

He looked over to Regulus, who was still pressed up against the wall, the expression of horror frozen on his face. "I hope to Merlin that this changes something for you, Regulus. I hope you see just what monsters they are now."

Sirius turned his back and walked towards the door again. The fear that his father would raise his wand against him a second time was strong within him, but he made it to the hallway without another word from either of his parents. He dragged himself up the two flights of stairs to his bedroom, making it inside and collapsing onto his bed.

The next few minutes passed in a blur. He managed to get himself standing again. He collected as much as he could to fit in his rucksack: a few shirts and pairs of trousers, the letters from his friends out of his desk, a box of assorted tricks and pranks that the Marauders had come up with. Anything his mind could think clearly enough to grab.

He eventually slung his rucksack onto his back and took one last look around at his room. This would be the last time he'd ever be here, that he'd ever see this place. Not much of a shame at all. His friends waved at him from the picture on the wall, all of them happy and laughing and smiling. It was a shame he couldn't take that picture with him.

Finally, he dragged his eyes from it, picking up his broomstick in his left hand and his wand in his right. His body was still aching, but he forced himself to stand tall and strong and walk back down the stairs with dignity. He wasn't about to show pain or fear.

He was expecting his parents to show up and try to stop him, but his way was clear. Until he made it to the entry hall.

"Regulus," he said.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" his brother asked, sounding worried.

"I'm leaving. I'm done with this. You saw what he did to me. If you think I'm going to sit around after that, then you're already beyond help. I really do hope that your view of them has changed."

"Where are you going to go?" Regulus asked him. For a brief second Sirius could see just how afraid he was. That he still cared. And it softened him a little bit. The kid really was alright sometimes.

"I'll be alright. I'll be happy," he said. "Now you take care of yourself. I hope this has knocked a little sense into you."

Sirius stepped around his brother, walking through the door and into the rapidly darkening outside. It was just beginning to rain.

He heard the door swing shut behind him, and the finality of what he'd done really hit him. He'd run out on his parents. It was somewhat of a frightening thought. That he was all on his own now. But it meant he'd never have to see his parents again, and that was fine by him.

A tired smile found its way onto his face as he began walking down the street. His body was still aching badly, but the smile stayed, nonetheless.

He slowly climbed onto his broomstick and flew up, over the houses and the trees, into the clouds. The rain started coming harder, colder. It would be a long journey to James's house. And it wouldn't be pleasant, he was sure. But that was alright. He was going to be alright. After all…

He was going home.

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**I love to hear what you guys think! Let me know in a review, if you'd please!**


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